This is my last post for February! Finally! I only had a few more pages to add to finish the month so this should be an easy one as in not too photo heavy.

In the bottom pockets, of the page above, are (2) inserts from my part 2 post. Above that, on the left is a picture of Rupert walking on the lane. I just thought it was cute the way he was trotting along. I cropped the photo and mounted it on a Project Life card from the Sunshine line. Then added (2) enamel dots in the lower corner (yellow and gold) by Freckled Fawn. The green brad is by Papermania as is the yellow asterisk at the top of the page. The green "today" sticker is from the Simple Stories D.I.Y. line. The photo in the top right pocket is of me, yes a selfie, as I mentioned in previous posts, I am trying to include myself more in my albums. The "smile big" sticker is by Simple Stories.

This page was an easy page as well. As I had out the acetate overlays from the original Simple Stories Snap 12x12 starter kit (from my Valentines layout) I thought I would try using one of the overlays in a pocket on its own, just "floating"as they say. I kind of like the way it looks but not sure on how to keep it from moving around a bit, without using anything like adhesive, that you could see. To the right of that is a picture of Rupert crashed out on a Sunday morning, a lazy Sunday morning to be exact.

In the bottom 4x6 pocket of this page is an insert I did to document some of the best birthday presents I have ever received. A childhood friend of mine, actually more like a big sister really, recently became a published author and I couldn't be more proud! I have read both of her books to date and can't wait for the next series. Granted I am probably a bit too old to be reading her books, as she writes YA or Young Adult, but I don't care. I love them! (Here is a link to her website, if you want to check it out).

SUPPLIES | I couldn't tell you the name or the manufacturer of the background paper if I tried as this was a scrap of paper in my "patterned paper" scraps box. All the stickers are Simple Stories with the exception of the teeny tiny alpha letters that spell out "pressies", these are by KaiserCraft.

SUPPLIES | For the top left pocket both stickers are Simple Stories from the new Dog line. On the bottom I have used Simple Stories polka dot paper and the large "Birthday" stickers are by Simple Stories whereas the "My" and "Bounty" stickers are by October Afternoon from the Studio Calico Sugar Rush kit.

This page was an easy page as well, or maybe I was just on a roll! The top pic is of Simon and Rupert. Simon came home one evening and Rupert was so excited to see him that he jumped up on him on the sofa and literally dove, or more like burrowed down the front of his gilet. It was hilarious and luckily I was quick enough to get a pic. In the bottom 4x6 pocket is a picture of the bonanza of scrapbooking supplies that I received for my birthday from my sister-in-law and Simon. I was overjoyed, simply over the moon. So many wonderful things that I wanted and all from Sarah's Cards! It was brilliant, I just let them log on as me to view my wish list and they ordered EVERYTHING on it!

When I post stuff like this next page I always worry that it may come across as a bit vain or narcissistic (note to self: maybe I should work on my self confidence) but its quite the contrary As I may have mentioned in previous posts, when I was growing up my father fancied himself as somewhat of an avid amateur possibly "up and coming" photographer so my brothers and I constantly had a camera lense shoved in our faces. We couldn't do anything, and I do mean anything without my father wanting to capture it on film, to the point of near annoyance. Not to mention the ridiculous posed scenarios we were put in to fulfill his photography "aspirations". So although I have always been one to want to take pictures of things myself, I tend to shy away from having my picture taken. This shot below probably took about 40 other shots just to get this one good picture, and that's no exaggeration. Even now, whenever a camera is pointed in my direction, I tend to tense up, or turn away, which doesn't make for a good pic. Nonetheless, on my birthday I decided to treat myself to a cut and style at my favourite salon because there is nothing like going to the hairdresser. You're guaranteed to walk out feeling like a brand new person, exactly what I needed, especially lately.

SUPPLIES | The "So Delightful" and "Happiness" stickers are by Simple Stories as is the background paper. A 12x12 page from the original Simple Stories Sn@p album kit cut down to 6x8. The "Tickled Pink" sticker is also Simple Stories. The multi-coloured chipboard letters are Thickers by American Crafts called Eric. At the bottom of the page, on the left, the pink "Smile" sticker is by Simple Stories and the pink metal charm plaque is by American Crafts from their elements line. (Note: this is super old and has been in my stash for a while)

(Close up of details on top right corner)

SUPPLIES | The pink metal brad is by BoBunny and from my stash. The "2014" was cut from an Echo Park card. The enamel dots are by Freckled Fawn from Studio Calico Sugar Rush. The pink flower is from a Classic Winnie the Pooh Collage set by EK Success.

(Close up of details on lower right hand corner)

SUPPLIES | The "Cut" & "Style" stickers are Simple Stories - from (2) different sets, the travel line and the Typeset stickers. The pink ampersand is also Simple Stories as is the "something splendid" sticker. The chipboard button is by Webster's Pages Button & Twine kit and the tiny red dots are simply the bits that came out of the button holes.

So happy to be cracking on with my February PL as well! Making some good progress. Above is the detail on my page dedicated to Valentines Day.

I wanted this picture to be roughly 5x7 but unfortunately Simple Stories does not carry or make a 5x7 pocket page and I didn't want it to sit within a 6x8 pocket. As well, I kinda wanted the page to be more like an insert than in a pocket, to stand on its own so I did a little bit more of my creative custom pages (like in this post here). I printed this picture of the restaurant we went to for Valentines Day onto white cardstock then sewed it onto the strip cut off from a pocket page insert (the bit of the strip with the holes). I had been hearing about this place in High Wycombe called Bluegrass that was meant to be like "proper" American BBQ. As there aren't that many places around here like that I desperately wanted to give it a go and what better time than Valentines, right, cuz what says "I love you" more than American BBQ does?! ; )

On the back I printed a copy of the picture I took of the menu. Along the side I glued on a file tab that says "Captured" by Pink Paislee.

This is my page dedicated to Valentines Day! I had an image in my head and wanted to create a sort of collage along with using a photo strip of some of our silly pics. As much as I do remember to take pictures, I also sometimes have a bad habit of going out of the house without making sure my phone is completely charged. Then when it comes time to take some pictures for my PL my phone is too flat or on occasion even dead so that I can't take ANY pictures! I stupidly made that mistake on Valentines Day so I was only able to snap a few pics of us by the end of the evening.

SUPPLIES | The pink hearts background paper is by Studio Calico and is from the Sugar Rush kit. The white & gray Bluegrass slow-cooked paper is simply a scan of the placemat paper from the restaurant which I then printed onto white cardstock. I wanted to include this somewhere in the layout. I had originally put it into a 3x4 pocket but didn't like the look of it. The photo strip and the big picture I created myself after altering the pictures in BeFunky. The pink & red vellum hearts are from the Studio Calico Sugar Rush kit. The red "heart you" acetate overlay is from the original Simple Stories 12x12 kit, have had this tucked away & never used any of them. The "Loved", "So Happy" & "Sweet" stickers are all Simple Stories. The Valentines themed chipboard button is by Jenni Bowlin.

The pink cardstock strip behind the photo strip with the love hearts painted on it is something I was inspired to try after reading another one of Kelly Xeno's posts (here). I have to say that I never knew there was such a thing as water colour pencils, yes water colours, but not water colour pencils. (Maybe I need to get out more) I thought what she created with her cards were so beautiful and unique that I would give it go. Now, my attempt is nowhere near as good as what she created but I had fun with the process, so that's all that matters, right?! I'm sure the more I play with it, the better I will get, or at least I'm hoping!

Of course, I had to include photos of the food, as I do!! On the top left pocket, I took a picture of the backside of the menu as it sat on the table. I'm getting bad now because even as it sat on the table I thought to myself, if I leave some space down the right hand side, when I print the pic I can include some text right on the picture. The pic on the top (on the right) is of the bar at Bluegrass, which they styled like a tin corrugated roof on a wooden shack. They did quite well with the theme! And yes, the bottom pic is of the pulled pork sandwich which was to die for!! So yummy!

I tried text directly on the photo (in the bottom pocket) but didn't like the way it looked and wanted to add a bit more texture, so printed off the text on natural cardstock and then cut it into strips, gluing it to the outside of the pocket.

For the page below I simply enlarged one of the graphics on the menu and printed it on a piece of tan cardstock. On the right is a picture of Simon's meal - he tried the trio of sandwiches, a sampling of the various different roast sandwiches. For the bottom pic I realised we hadn't taken any pics of us yet and my phone was about to die. This was as we were on the way back to the car so I quickly took a snap or two, this was the best of the two, which isn't saying much. The picture was already a bit blurry as I took it so quickly so tried to make it look a bit better by adding a filter with one of my editing apps (starting to realise how much I use those...) Also decided to go B&W with it. I used the same heart paper as on the main Valentines page and then added the top of a PL card from the Honey line with the "Love This" tab down the left hand side.

I loved that they served the cocktails in little mason jars, or Tennessee jars as we know them! They had some of the good ole proper southern style cocktails as well - Cherry Cola Cooler, which I had - Amaretto & Coke. Plus a So Co Lo (Southern Comfort & Lemonade) and The Jack (this one needing no explanation), the Low & Sloe and finally Oak & Coke (Oakheart Rum & Coke). Simon probably hates having his picture taken even more than me, even though he is more photogenic, by far! I told him to smile and he pulled his Koala face, like Sheldon - only Big Bang fans will get the reference here. The "Good Times" insert card on the bottom right is Project Life and the glitter puffy sticker is a no name brand that a friend from the US sent me from Big Lots years ago.

The card in the upper right hand corner of this page (of which there is a close up below) the one with the topper "Memories", I struggled with for aaagges! After dinner we went to a special Valentine's Day viewing of Sleepless in Seattle, one of my favourite romantic comedy's, so it had to be seen. I didn't know how to reflect that here in my pocket scrapbooking, thought about including a shot of the film poster and the actual movie ticket, among other ideas but didn't like anything and tried so many! Eventually I cut up (2) PL cards, one that was lined & originally said "Good Story" on the top and instead stapled the "Memories" top bit onto it, after running it through my printer to get the text on it.

SUPPLIES | The red heart is Simple Stories and the cinema ticket is by Crate Paper with the pink ticket underneath by October Afternoon.

I am not really much of a cardmaker but this year I decided to make a Valentine for my Valentine! Try something different! Below, on the left, is the PL insert card notating the date and a small bit of journaling for the Valentine Day card I made and on the right is a snapshot of the card.

SUPPLIES | Insert card is Project Life, the pink hearts were punched out of another PL card, the pink enamel dot is by Freckled Fawn and the arrow strip is by Echo Park. You can see I put the card in the pocket too soon and smeared the ink. Oh well!

This album is something I created and started working on in the days leading up to Christmas. For this year I wanted to give my sister-in-law something that was a bit more heartfelt than a store bought present, as she is somewhat difficult to buy for sometimes. Kinda like Rachel off of Friends, if you've ever watched the programme. Basically you have to give her the gift with the receipt attached as more than likely she will want to return it for something she likes more. All kidding aside and more importantly, the main reason I wanted to create this album was because in clearing out her family belongings from her shed last winter, where we had stacked boxes and boxes of stuff from her father's flat when he passed away a few years back, we came across loads of family photos that were just thrown in cardboard boxes. Being a scrapbooker and an avid photographer I simply thought these pictures could be put to better use, scrapped in a nice album, looked over and remembered fondly, so the idea for this album was born.

As I am trying to work my way through my stash this year (I figure I have all this product, I should really use it rather than hoard it and still buy new stuff) so I don't have names and/or brands for a lot of what I used. Like with the bits of scrap paper I used for layering, as I kept these in a cropper hopper in no particular order I'm not certain who they are by. However, I did keep track of what papers I used for the background pages and have listed those below. Be forewarned, this is a photo heavy post.

I really did try to use up as much of my stash as I could and thought I would get through a fair bit of it but am still surprised at how much stuff I still have left over. The letter tags above (J & H) I do believe are old American Craft embellishments.

The "Memories" tag on this page (above) I do believe is Paislee Press.

I wanted the album to mostly be about her and her mother, sort of a mother daughter album. Therefore most of the pictures used are either of her or her mother or both with a few family pictures & wedding pictures peppered in.

The "Family" card is by October Afternoon as are the typed words "Childhood Memories" and "Remember".

The "Beautiful" tag on the left hand side of this layout (above) is actually the top of a journaling card by 7 Gypsies.

The "Captured" tab on the right hand side of this photo (above) is by Paislee Press. The other two stickers are Dymo labels.

On the last two pages of the album I used some various childhood pictures of her mother.

Supplies | The lettering and the brackets for the word "Memories" are Thickers. The "Life is Good" chipboard embellishment is by Simple Stories. The fabric brad is by Making Memories (I think, again something from my stash).

A shot of the album standing.

I really enjoyed making this album as it is probably more reflective of my scrapbooking style. I always liked making vintage themed pages when scrapbooking whereas I don't get to use that style much when documenting my Project Life. Thanks for stopping by to have a look!Christine x

So happy to be finishing my February PL as well! February wasn't nearly as busy a month as January (although in truth, January did not seem that busy when it was happening so was surprised with how many pages I ended up with) so there are not as many pages to document for this month. Hopefully I can crack on over the next week or so and get up to date with March. Probably wishful thinking there on my part as I'm sure something will keep me from accomplishing that task. I'm such the optimist, aren't I?!We were lucky enough to get a few good days of sunshiny weather so thought it was worth documenting. Very rare for February. Lucky enough that it wasn't snowing really at this time of year. Took Rupert over to Cookham now that the flood waters are gone and this is what we were left with! Picture perfect.

SUPPLIES | The background grid paper is the hard card inserts that come with the Simple Stories Sn@p albums. The multi-coloured striped paper is super old from my stash. The Captured tab behind the top of the picture is a PL card from the Honey line with two yellow brads by Papermania. I have added some enamel dots (gold glitter & yellow) by Studio Calico. The gold arrows are Freckled Fawn Dew Drops from the Studio Calico Sugar Rush kit. The "sweet sunshine" and "hello" sticker are by Simple Stories. The yellow "sunny day" sticker is by Studio Calico. The red "Saturday" tag at the bottom is by Jillibean Soup called "days of the week" soup labels.

On the back of the above page I created a collage of sorts with another photo taken at Cookham that day, where a small area of the fields were still flooded. I also included a picture of Simon and Rupert after our walk. Not only does it wear Rupert out but apparently Simon as well. Too funny! Not sure why I chose it but I wanted to do this layout all in varying tones of blue. I really like how it turned out.

SUPPLIES | Background paper (grid paper) is simply the back of the previous page. I know paint chip cards are so last decade and so very passe, but I still like using them when I want to add a little colour to my page. The "Noted" tab stapled to the picture at the top of the page is PL card from the Honey line. The "Love This" blue circle and the camera strips at the bottom of the page and along the top side are a PL card from the Blush kit cut up. All the stickers (Today-Documented, Life is Good, This is the Good Stuff) are Simple Stories. The "Day Dream" Dymo style sticker is an embossed sticker from the Marcella line by Kay. The "Friends" flair is by American Crafts and the "best" stickers above it are by Simple Stories. The round "Today is the Day" tag is by Jillibean Soup called Journaling Sprouts. The silver & blue polka dot foil, peaking out from behind the paint chip card is from an old, old kit that I picked up at TK Maxx (the UK equivalent of TJ Maxx). The blue chipboard stars are by Studio Calico.

We're not always able to get out with Rupert during the week when the evenings get dark so early but we definitely make a habit of taking him out for a long walk at the park on the weekends. An added bonus was that we had good weather with a bit of sun as well. Whilst walking at Braywick on this day Rupert happened to find a ball that another dog had left behind, so a very long game of fetch ensued, to the point where he was so tired he just flopped down on the ground till he caught his breath. Always a good sign of a great walk.

(left page)

SUPPLIES-Left page | Green polka dot paper is very old and from my stash. The gray "Today" tab is the top of a PL card stuck behind the photo. The "good day" sticker, "tired" letters and the banner are all Simple Stories.

SUPPLIES | With this picture I altered it a bit with one of my photo apps (BeFunky), to give it a blurred effect around the edges, which is called Tiltshift. The "heart this" green sticker is by Simple Stories.

As the sun here is brief, by the time we finished our walk the weather had turned a bit cold so we stopped for our favourite, a Ho Cho at Costa.

(right page)

SUPPLIES-Right page | The "Here's the Story" journaling card is a PL card and the insert card on the bottom "Saturday Sunday in the Park" I created myself in Word (only Chicago fans will get the reference!). I just added a bit of Queen & Co washi tape to the bottom to give it a bit more colour.

SUPPLIES | All the stickers on this page (the multi-coloured arrow on the top right, the green arrow on the bottom "Look @ This" and the "Messy" letters are all Simple Stories. The "documented" card is a PL Honey card mounted on patterned paper by Dovercraft called Garden Party from a 6x6 pack. The "This is a dog's life" insert card is by Simple Stories from the new Dog pack.

I think Rupert and Simon are so cute together. Don't know if Simon is even aware of how much he cuddles Rupert when they are both asleep. Absolutely adorable!

SUPPLIES | All supplies on this page (two insert cards and the one sticker) are all Simple Stories.

Below is a goofy page I did on taking selfies. As I am trying to include more bits of myself in my album I was just playing around with my phone and sending silly pictures to Simon one night. Thought it would be fun to include these in my album. The small one on the top left I turned B&W and then altered with a soft focus with one of my editing apps.

SUPPLIES | Background paper is simple black Bazzill cardstock. The black & white patterned paper is by Teresa Collins. The large pink glitter chipboard stickers are by Making Memories called Shimmer Jigsaw pink/rose. When I saw them I instantly loved them but didn't now what I would ever use them for as they're quite big but I thought they were perfect for this page. The pink glitter stars are by Studio Calico. The little pink felt flowers are from a craft kit by WHSmith, believe it or not. The white brad with the little heart are Bodacious Brads by BoBunny, the pink checkered brad is by cart-us called Baby and the white button brad are mini button brads by Making Memories.

Close up of detail in upper left hand corner of page

Rupert is quite cheeky and wanted to get in on the action so he stole my camera to take his own version of a selfie - a "pelfie", which I have scrapped below. Quite cute!

SUPPLIES | All the stickers used come from various different lines by Simple Stories (24/7, Travel, The Daily Grind & D.I.Y.) The pink glitter star is from the Double Scoop Studio Calico kit I do believe. And the B&W background paper is by Teresa Collins.

(full page below)

After reading through my post one last time I've come to realise that this is a Rupert heavy post. Maybe I need to stop focusing so much on my dog....

I am determined to get my February PL part 2 done and had hoped to upload it this weekend as well but I think that was probably a lofty goal.

Thanks for stopping by to have a look!

Would love to hear a few comments on what you all think, even if its I should give up crafting forever, burn all my paper and never look back! ; )

Christine/American Girl living in England

About Me

This is the story of my journey through life……..hopefully done with a little bit of creativity, pretty paper and glitter. I have always been “crafty”, drawn to things like felt, construction paper and Elmer’s glue from a very young age! Trying my hand at activities such as art, drawing, painting, music, creative writing and let’s not forget photography. My LOVES: Paper of course, pink & black, anything retro, travel, my crazy JRT Rupert, English summers, lazy afternoons & quite recently fashion, more specifically the Retro & Vintage fashion world and scene,can you dig it (having formerly been a tomboy). Happy that you could drop by to visit my small corner of the blogosphere!